Vanilla (vainilla) is one of Mexico’s greatest contributions to the world. The “vanilla bean” is actually the fruit of a Central American orchid (Vanilla planifolia), which is harvested unripe and subjected to a long fermenting and drying process that brings out its delicious fragrance. Today it is grown as far from its home as Madagascar, Reunion, Tahiti, and Sri Lanka. But as Elizabeth David says in Spices, Salt and Aromatics in the English Kitchen, “The best beans still come from Mexico.” Vanilla beans are harvested principally in Papantla, Veracruz. Unfortunately, very little Mexican vanilla bean is exported to the United States.
